Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1

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Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1
GuRuJazzMatt1.jpg
"An Ex­per­i­men­tal Fu­sion of
Hip-Hop and Jazz"
Studio album by
Guru
ReleasedMay 18, 1993 (1993-05-18)
Recorded1992–1993
Studio D&D (New York City)
Genre Jazz rap
Length44:06
Label Chrysalis
Producer Guru
Guru chronology
Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1
(1993)		 Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality
(1995)
Singles from
Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1
  1. "Trust Me"
    Released: 1993
  2. "No Time To Play"
    Released: 1993
  3. "Loungin'"
    Released: 1993

Jazzmatazz, Volume 1: An Experimental Fusion of Hip-Hop and Jazz, is the debut solo studio album by American hip hop recording artist Guru. It was released on May 18, 1993, by Chrysalis Records. [1] The recording sessions took place at D&D Studios, in New York. The album was produced by Guru, who also served as executive producer with Duff Marlowe and Patrick Moxey.

Contents

The album combines a live jazz band performance with hip hop production and rapping. It features contributions from singers N'Dea Davenport, Carleen Anderson, Dee C Lee, French rapper MC Solaar, and musicians Simon Law, Branford Marsalis, Courtney Pine, Donald Byrd, Gary Barnacle, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ronny Jordan, Roy Ayers and Zachary Breaux.

Guru, quoted in the album's liner notes, talked about his natural affinity for both jazz and rap. "Jazz's mellow tracks, along with the hard rap beat, go hand-in-glove with my voice", he said. [2]

The album made it to number 94 on the Billboard 200 and number 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. In spite of the lagging American sales, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 was a commercial success in Europe, where jazz was much more popular in the 1990s. It peaked at No. 43 in Germany, No. 49 in Sweden, No. 58 in the UK, No. 67 in the Netherlands, and No. 139 in France. It also apeaked at No. 24 in New Zealand, Oceania. Its lead single "Trust Me" peaked at No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 105 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Its second single, "No Time to Play", peaked at No. 25 in the UK. SPIN ranked the album at number 20 on their 'The 20 Best Albums of 1993' list. [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Robert Christgau Rating-Christgau-dud.svg [6]
DownBeat Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Tom Hull B+ [8]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 7/10 [12]
The Windsor Star B− [13]

The New York Amsterdam News called the album "an experimental fusion of jazz and rap that articulates the ties of Black music through the ages and embodies the quintessence of Afro-American cultures." [14] The Windsor Star noted that "two cuts stand out featuring singer N'Dea Davenport, who offers a fresh voice to the project." [13] The Philadelphia Inquirer determined that "the soloists conjure a variety of deep-hued moods, but Guru stops short of delivering anything more than polite editorials and bland travelogues." [15] Maclean's listed Jazzmatazz as the fifth best album of 1993. [16]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Keith Elam, except tracks 3 and 9 written with N'Dea Davenport, and track 12 written with Courtney Pine

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Introduction" Guru 1:20
2."Loungin'" (featuring Donald Byrd)
4:38
3."When You're Near" (featuring N'Dea Davenport and Simon Law)
4:02
4."Transit Ride" (featuring Branford Marsalis and Zachary Breaux)
3:58
5."No Time to Play" (featuring Dee C Lee, Ronny Jordan and Big Shug)
4:54
6."Down the Backstreets" (featuring Lonnie Liston Smith)
4:47
7."Respectful Dedications"Guru0:54
8."Take a Look (At Yourself)" (featuring Roy Ayers)
3:59
9."Trust Me" (featuring N'Dea Davenport)
  • Guru
  • N'Dea Davenport [c]
4:27
10."Slicker Than Most" (featuring Gary Barnacle and the Cutthroats)Guru2:35
11."Le Bien, Le Mal" (featuring MC Solaar, Black Jack and Mickey "Mus Mus")
3:21
12."Sights in the City" (featuring Carleen Anderson, Courtney Pine and Simon Law)
5:10
Total length:44:06
Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [2]

Musicians

Production

Design

Charts

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References

  1. ↑ Billboard (PDF) (May 8, 1993). Vol. 105, no. 19. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved September 25, 2023– via World Radio History (worldradiohistory.com); David E. Frackelton Gleason (born 1946), Cleveland. Lock-green.svg
    1. Nelson, Havelock. "The Rap Column" – "Guru Dazzles With New Jazzmatazz" (PDF). Billboard (Nelson interviews Guru). p. 21.
  2. 1 2 Adler, Bill (1993). "Guru's Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1" (liner notes). Guru. Chrysalis Records. F1-21998.
  3. ↑ Smith, Danyel (December 31, 1993). "The 20 Best Albums of 1993". Spin . Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  4. ↑ Brown, Marisa (2008). "Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1". AllMusic .
    1. Online: AllMusic Album ID: mw0000098545 ( AllMusic ). RhythmOne . Retrieved April 3, 2021.
    2. Print: Woodstra, Chris; Bush, John; Erlewine, Sgtephen Thomas, eds. (2008). Old School Rap and Hip-Hop (limited preview). All Music Guide Required Listening Series: No. 2. Backbeat Books. pp. 39–40. Retrieved September 25, 2023– via Google Books.; ISBN   978-0-8793-0916-9, 0-8793-0916-4; OCLC   154751936(all editions).
  5. ↑ Kot, Greg (June 17, 1993). "Recordings ...Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 (Chrysalis) ★★ Greg Osby 3-D". Home Entertainment. Recordings. Chicago Tribune . Vol. 147, no. 168 (North Sport Final ed.). p. 7 (section 5; Tempo). ISSN   1085-6706 . Retrieved April 3, 2021. ProQuest   283496136 , 283488063, 283488063 (US Newsstream database) (subscription required).
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Guru". Robert Christgau. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Guru: Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1". DownBeat . Vol. 60, no. 6. June 1993. p. 38.
  8. ↑ Hull, Tom. "Grade List: Guru". Tom Hull. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Guru: Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1". Q . No. 83. August 1993. p. 92.
  10. ↑ Ferguson, Kate (June 24, 1993). "Guru: Jazzmatazz: An Experimental Fusion of Hip-Hop and Jazz (Volume 1)". Rolling Stone . No. 659. p. 83.
  11. ↑ McLeod, Kembrew (2004). "Gang Starr". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 322. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ↑ Whitehead, Colson (1995). "Gang Starr". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 164–65. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  13. 1 2 Jones, Owen (June 26, 1993). "Jazzmatazz Guru". The Windsor Star. p. F2.
  14. ↑ Atkins, Clarence (May 29, 1993). "Gang Starr's Guru's groundbreaking 'Jazzmatazz' album". New York Amsterdam News. Vol. 84, no. 22. p. 31.
  15. ↑ Stark, Karl (June 8, 1993). "Guru Jazzmatazz Volume 1". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E6.
  16. ↑ "Pop Recordings". Maclean's. Vol. 107, no. 1. Jan 3, 1994. p. 59.
  17. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 122.
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  22. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Guru – Jazzmatazz Volume 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
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